Less than one in five councils offer ‘sufficient childcare for children with disabilities’, Coram warns

It found that just 18 per cent of councils in England have enough childcare available for children with disabilities. This is down on the 21 per cent who were able to provide sufficient places the previous year.

Coram is urging the government to improve support for children with disabilities through more funding to improve training of staff and to make places more accessible.

• Schools to extend reach through more places for two-year-olds

• Benefits of expanding childcare provision

The lack of places for disabled children is part of a “sharp drop in childcare availability across England over the past year”, warned the charity.

It found that just half of council areas in England have sufficient childcare for children under two, down seven per cent on the previous year. Less than half of councils have enough childcare for parents working full time, down 11 per cent on the previous year.

In addition, there has been a six per cent drop in the proportion of English council areas that have enough places to provide the universal 15 hours of free early education for three- and four-year-olds.

“These places are vital in narrowing the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, and there is concern they will miss out on this vital boost to their outcomes,” said Coram.

The findings have emerged in Coram’s annual childcare survey, which is now in its 22^nd year.

The charity also found that the cost of childcare across Great Britain has increased “at a time when parents are already struggling to meet costs”. It found that a part time nursery place of 25 hours-a-week for a child under two years old costs on average £148.63, up 5.6 per cent on the previous year.

Families in England pay the most, £150.89 for an under two-year-old place each week. While in Scotland the figure is £118.14 and in Wales families pay £135.67 weekly.

The government is being urged by the charity to review early years funding “to ensure it meets the cost of providing high quality care”. Universal credit also needs to be overhauled to ensure families in receipt of the benefit can meet childcare costs.

Also, parents in training and education should be entitled to 30 hours funded early education, the charity added.

“The need for reform of the childcare system is urgent," said head of Coram Family and Childcare Megan Jarvie.

"As well as eye watering bills, parents are facing widening gaps in availability of the childcare they need.

"As the Chancellor decides his budget, we urge him to recognise the value of investing in childcare – it is a wise investment, enabling parents to work and boosting the outcomes of young children.” 

National Day Nurseries Association chief executive Purnima Tanuku said Coram’s report “makes for shocking reading, with those vulnerable children with additional needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds most at risk of having no early years support or education”.

“The government must now listen to the overwhelming evidence from the sector, local authorities and families themselves and invest sufficiently in our youngest children where the money makes the most difference to their outcomes," she added.

Across Great Britain 43 per cent of local authority areas are reporting that “some or many of their local childcare providers” have cut the number of funded early education placements they can provide, Coram’s report added.